Hard Work Pays Off....

Eloise & I arrived in the parking lot

of Krispy Kreme early this morning.

We were picking up over 300 

freshly glazed morsels of deliciousness.

Why?

Because our tiny little school of 5

(1 student + 4 teachers)

could not afford a much needed new violin

for it's music department.

After a school meeting, in the kitchen, 

Eloise decided that she would 

earn the money.

On Tuesday Eloise got dressed

 in her "outing" uniform 

and we drove all over town

taking pre-orders.

She sold 26 Dozen;

mostly to local businesses.

We then contacted Krispy Kreme 

to arrange our early morning pick-up.

Eloise delivered all of them before 

9:00 a.m.

surprisingly they were all still warm.

And all of her customers were happy.

As a mommy I was proud of her hard work.

Even though she only raised half of the $250

she needed, the Gran & Grandpa Corp.

stepped up and offered her a matching funds grant.

They were impressed with her enthusiasm

and the fact that an eleven year old 

sold enough orders in one afternoon to net $125.

(I did not do any of the selling)

All I can say is ....

look out youth department!

In just a few months your

 newest member will be

 running circles around you

in the fundraising arena.

P.S. I will post pics next week

 when her new violin arrives from California. 

My mouth is watering just thinking about

 the wonderful aroma that was in my car. 

We didn't even get to keep any, 

because a person at one of the drop off sites

 didn't get a chance to order

 and was very envious of her co-workers,

 so we graciously sold her our dozen.

Oh well. I guess the Lord knew we needed the dough, but not all that sugar!

LOL

Test Kitchen Winner....

We recently cooked this lovely  Indian  style recipe.

 I have been wanting to try it out ever since I saw it on a friends blog:

"Diary of a Homeschool Mom"

Thank you Jessica,

for grabbing this recipe off of 

Pioneer Woman's site,

and then sharing with your buds.

We love it.

(we as in all three)

(as in all infernally picky three)

If your taste buds aren't accustomed 

to a variety of flavors,

 then this might not be the recipe for you.

***The only problem I had was buying the Cardamom.

I don't regret it now,

but I was not sure I wanted

to spend $12 for 1 small bottle,

when I didn't know

if I was even going to like the dish.

I do 

and I have also discovered 

that there are plenty of Indian dishes 

that call for it.

Anyhoo....

On with the recipe:

Butter Chicken

4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 
bite size pieces)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 whole lime, juiced
1 whole onion, diced
1/4 c butter
1 can (14.5 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 bunch chopped cilantro
2 c (or more) basmatti rice

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.
Saute the onion in the butter until soft.  Add marinated chicken, cook about 10 minutes (will still be a little pink).  Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 min. over med-low heat with the lid on.  I added an additional 1/4 tsp each of coriander, cumin and cardamom.  Add the whipping cream (Light cream or half n' half works too) and cilantro just before serving over basmatti rice.

* Recipe was not all that spicy (hot) in my opinion.  You could add more cayenne if you like spicy foods like me.

The previous ( *) statement was Jessica's,

but we agree.

For those of you who prefer more traditional fare:

I recently made a big pot of beef stew.

To me this is a comfort food.

It was loaded with barley, lentils, veggies,

and of course tender chunks of beef.

Everyone has their own method,

so I won't bore you with the details.